Saturday Snippet

When I think of winter (this week's theme), I think of the holidays and Christmas. Today, in keeping with the festive season, I'm sharing a snippet from Slam Dunk.

Snippet:

Jamie and Grace were holding their annual tacky Christmas sweater party. Today had been the last day of school prior to the winter break. The teachers drinking and eating in the living room were clearly ready to make merry.

"It's about time you two got here." Grace walked up and offered Ellie a friendly hug and then Trey bent down to give Grace a kiss on the cheek. Grace gave him a saucy wink, clearly excited to see him arrive with Ellie on his arm.

"All right," Jamie said, walking out from the kitchen with three beers in his hands. "Hunter and Donovan are here. Now it's a party."

Jamie handed each of them a drink.

Trey burst into loud laughter. "What the fuck are you wearing, man?"

Jamie's grin grew. "You like my outfit?" His best friend was sporting green polyester pants that couldn't be called anything other than high waters and a woman's gaudy Christmas sweater.

Grace shook her head. "The sweater is an old one of mine. I found it in the attic the other day. Nearly died when Jamie said he wanted to wear it."

"And the pants?" Trey asked, gesturing at the three-decades-out-of-style polyesters.

Jamie shrugged. "Got them at a consignment shop a couple years ago. Don't you remember? They were part of my Halloween costume."

Trey nodded. "That's right. You were a seventies porn star that year. Took you nearly a month to grow out that Fu Manchu as I recall."

Until that point, Ellie had managed to contain her giggles. Once Trey mentioned the mustache, she gave up the battle. "Oh my God. I would have loved to see that."

Grace took a quick drink of Jamie's beer. "I think I have pictures of it somewhere. I'll dig them out."

"You two are looking pretty snazzy yourself," Jamie joked, pointing to Ellie and Trey's matching Rudolph sweatshirts and red and black checked pants.

"Ellie picked them up for us at Walmart. Can you believe this whole get-up cost less than ten bucks?" Trey joked.

Grace giggled before walking away. "Yeah. I think I can," she said over her shoulder.

Jamie gestured toward the kitchen. "There's a shitload of food on the counter. Beer's in a big tub out on the back porch. God knows it's cold enough out there to keep it chilled. We pushed the living room furniture against the walls to make a dance floor. Music's gonna start soon. I'm just letting everybody lay a base first."

Trey nodded in understanding.

"Lay a base?" Ellie asked.

Trey wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"He means he's letting them get tipsy before he starts all the crazy dancing and singing."

"Ah, gotcha. The Cougar Club playlist."

Ellie had teased them more than once about the way their gang had standard songs they played every time they got together.

Jamie laughed. "Maybe we should release an album."

Trey rolled his eyes. "God. Let's spare the rest of humanity from that."

Jamie tapped his beer bottle against Trey's and raised his eyebrows. "I'm going to go turn down the heat. It's already too warm in here and I have a feeling once we start dancing, it'll only get hotter."

Trey nodded and watched his friend walk away. He noticed more than a few of their colleagues taking in his and Ellie's matching outfits. Lucas was giving him a shit-eating grin from across the room and Trey knew his friend was going to start pressing for details. Trey wished there were deets to share.

Jamie dimmed the lights and walked over to fiddle with his iPod. Trey grinned as he watched his friend. Jamie was the ultimate party host. He knew how to entertain and Trey hadn't spent too many nights with the man that hadn't been some of the most fun evenings of his life. The guy knew how to have a good time.

"You hungry?" Trey asked.

Ellie shrugged. "I could eat. I skipped dinner because Grace warned me she was making a ton of food."

Trey took her hand and led her to the kitchen. They were just about to enter the room when Grace stopped them.

"Wait," Grace said. "Look up."

Trey glanced above his head and spotted the mistletoe. "You're sabotaging your guests. Luring them in here for food."

Grace laughed. "Jamie's idea. However, regardless of our underhanded tactics, tradition overrules in this case." She gave them a wicked grin before turning to use the second doorway in the kitchen—also adorned with mistletoe—to take a tray of food to the living room.

Ellie looked at the mistletoe before smiling at him. "Guess we wouldn't want to break a time-honored custom."

Trey grasped her waist, deciding that was all the invitation he needed. "I don't want that guilt on my head." He bent down and kissed her. If Ellie was expecting a quick, friendly buss, she'd be disappointed. He'd been lusting after her lips since the night she'd given him the greatest blowjob of his life. He wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

Ellie raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. She welcomed his long kiss, returning it with a vengeance. When they broke apart, they continued to hold each other for a long time as he looked into her eyes.

"I bought you a Christmas present." He'd meant to give it to her at school today, but something had held him back.

"You did?" She frowned. "Damn. I suck. I didn't get you anything except a lousy card."

Trey chuckled. "I didn't expect you to buy anything for me. And don't worry. It's just something little. Thought you might like it."

She smiled. "Where is it?"

She looked like a kid waiting for Santa to arrive.

"Back at my house. I thought we'd swing by and pick it up before I took you home."

She released him and nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Sounds like an excuse to lure me into your lair and have your wicked way with me."

He reached up to cup her cheek. "Would you mind if that were true?"

Trey expected her to pull away, to offer her same reasons for rejecting his suit.

Instead, she tilted her head and looked at him. "No. I wouldn't mind at all."

His cock went rock hard in an instant. "Fuck. We're in public, Ellie," he muttered adjusting his pants as she laughed.

She glanced around, confirming they were alone in the kitchen, and then she discreetly ran her hand along his rigid length. "Maybe I do have a present for you after all."

He closed his eyes, suddenly light-headed. "So," he joked, "it's been a great party. You ready to leave?"

Slam Dunk is available at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo and All Romance Ebooks.

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